Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Gambling: Coronavirus

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2020 to Question 122608 on Gambling: Coronavirus, what steps he is taking to review the evidence supporting the closure of adult gaming centres in tier 3 local covid alert level areas.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2020 to Question 122643 on Gambling: Coronavirus, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of adult gaming centres, bingo halls and casinos reopening in tier three areas.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2020 to Question 122644 on Gambling: Coronavirus, if he will publish the evidence on the rate of covid-19 transmissions in adult gaming centres, bingo hall and casinos supporting the decision to close them in tier three areas.

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to his Answer of 30 November 2020 to Question 122915 on Gambling: Coronavirus, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of adult gaming centres re-opening in tier three areas.

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to his Answer to Question 122916, if he will publish the evidence supporting the decision to close adult gaming centres in tier three areas.

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2020 to Question 125212 on Gambling: Coronavirus, what plans the Government has to review restrictions on adult gaming centres in covid-19 tier three areas; and if he will make a statement.

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2020 to Question 125212 on Gambling: Coronavirus, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing adult gaming centres to open under covid-19 tier three restrictions.

Nigel Huddleston: The government, with advice from SAGE, reviewed the impact of the previous tiering arrangements and decided that unfortunately stricter rules on tier 3 closures would be necessary to have an impact on the rate of transmission in very high alert areas. This led to the decision that all hospitality and indoor entertainment venues in tier 3 areas would have to close, including casinos, bingo halls and adult gaming centres. SAGE advice is independent and published on a regular basis on: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergenciesThe government has continued to engage with the land-based gambling sector throughout the pandemic, including with its trade associations the Betting and Gaming Council, Bacta and the Bingo Association. The Minister for Sports, Heritage and Tourism has had a series of roundtable discussions with the industry to discuss the impact of Covid-19, including representatives from two of Britain’s largest AGC operators. DCMS officials have been in regular contact with the representative trade associations and fed their views into the government decision-making process, and they are continuing to do so.Government has set out an analysis of the health, economic and social impacts of the tiered approach, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-health-economic-and-social-effects-of-covid-19-and-the-tiered-approach. As on previous occasions, local data packs have also been published.Epidemiological data and projection models on local restriction tiers, including commentary on individual tier allocation decisions, can also be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/938964/Coronavirus_England_briefing_26_November.pdf.

Tennis: Coronavirus

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the risks of covid-19 transmission during tennis doubles matches between mixed households.

Nigel Huddleston: As the Prime Minister said on 23 November national restrictions ended on Wednesday 2 December, and gyms and sport facilities can reopen across all tiers. This means that certain leisure and sporting facilities including tennis courts and facilities are able to open subject to relevant social contact rules in each tier.In tier 4, outdoor sports courts can remain open for individual exercise, and for people to use with others within their household, support bubble, or with one person from another household. Organised outdoor sport for under 18s and disabled people will be allowed.As set out in the COVID Winter Plan the decision to allocate tiers is based on a range of factors and will be reviewed every 14 days. In Tier 3 and 4 areas we have taken further measures to limit social interactions and therefore opportunities for the virus to spread.

Casinos: Regulation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made on the effectiveness of casino regulation of anonymous ownership of those venues and their licenses.

Nigel Huddleston: All companies providing gambling facilities to consumers in Great Britain must be licensed by the Gambling Commission and comply with the conditions and codes of practice of their operating licences. These include a requirement for key personnel, such as those responsible for regulatory compliance or the management and direction of a licensee's business or affairs, to hold personal management licences from the Gambling Commission.Anonymous ownership of casinos or any gambling businesses is not allowed or accepted by the Gambling Commission. All operators must be transparent about their corporate control and provide the Commission with information about those who run or have a significant interest in gambling businesses.Where an operator provides insufficient information about its ownership, the Commission can and will take action, including suspending or revoking licences. This applies equally to changes of corporate control.

Department of Health and Social Care

Older People: Coronavirus

Karen Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the scope of support bubbles to allow elderly couples to form a support bubble with their family.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The eligibility criteria for support bubbles were extended when the local restriction tiers were re-introduced on 2 December include households with a child under one year old; households with a disabled child under five years old who requires continuous care; or a household with a single adult carer or a child carer looking after someone who requires continuous care. As such, unless a member of an elderly couple is the only adult in their household who does not need continuous care as a result of a disability, they are currently unable to form a support bubble.We recognise that not everyone who would like to form a support bubble is able to do so. These difficult decisions must be taken because the formation of a support bubble and therefore the ability to have close contact with those you do not live with carries transmission risks. As a result, the eligibility criteria has necessarily been limited to smaller households most in need of support that cannot be facilitated through other means.